Lake Blaine may be best known as the least accessible lake for the public in Northwest Montana, but that may change with a proposal before the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

At a Feb. 14 meeting in Helena, the commission will consider endorsing an opportunity for the agency to pursue a formal access site on the lake.

“I’ve actually had it on a priority list for 25 years,” said Jim Vashro, regional fisheries manager. “It’s the last large lake in the region that doesn’t have reasonable public access, so it’s nice to see it move up on the list.”

The 382-acre lake 12 miles east of Kalispell used to be accessible through a resort on the southeast shoreline that allowed boats to launch for a fee. But the resort closed about a decade ago and access vanished.

Two new and informal access areas emerged on the north end of the lake but one was closed by a landowner several years ago. The other remains, but parking is limited to the shoulder of a county road.

The state and Flathead Wildlife Inc., a local rod and gun club, teamed up to put in fencing, a gate and a portable toilet the last couple of years.

“Right now, we do have a private land access agreement with a landowner and they are willing to talk with us to see if we can get something more formal,” Vashro said.

The main goals are to create off-road parking and provide better sanitation and possibly boat access, but that will be limited by the nature of the lake.

“The north end is very shallow,” Vashro said. “In the middle of summer, you might get a medium-sized boat out there, but it’s still a very challenging site just because of the depth.”

Vashro said the lake has an impressive fishery with rainbow trout, bass, kokanee salmon, perch and lake trout.

“For a long time, we were not stocking Lake Blaine,” he said. “Once we got informal access, we started stocking 4,000 rainbows annually.”

That’s been under way for several years, and this year stocking may be increased to 6,000 rainbow trout.

Vashro emphasized that acquiring improved access could take years and the commission’s approval is necessary to pursue the access.

“This is simply permission for the department to initiate the process and put some resources into it,” he said. “If indeed we come up with a proposal that looks promising, we’ll go back to the commission and go through an environmental assessment and public involvement before we acquire a property.”

The Feb. 14 meeting, which starts at 8:30 a.m., will be available via teleconference at the agency’s regional headquarters on Meridian Road in Kalispell.

“If people want to speak to the commission on any subject there is the means to do that,” Vashro said.

The meeting’s full agenda is available online under “commission information” at http://fwp.mt.gov.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.